5 green shoots for 2024

To start the year with some positive energy, we’re sharing five trends that show how increasingly we’re all using our everyday choices to live greener, more sustainable lives. Sustainability, it seems, really does start at home. The small decisions we make every day are adding up to a big difference. So to encourage you to go greener in the New Year, here are a few of the often-overlooked good news stories from 2023. Happy re(new)able year!

Try sustainable chic.
We’re all falling in love with pre-loved. Almost half of us now shop second-hand. From vintage clothing to pre-owned phones and upcycled furniture, second-hand is no longer second-best. And if any of our pre-loved purchases break, 55% of us are choosing to repair them not re-buy them.

Le plastique no longer fantastique.
A third of us now check products for proof they’re made and packaged with recycled, recyclable or biodegradable materials. The number of us avoiding food packaged in single-use plastic went up to 71% last year. And where we go, food producers follow.

Go native in the garden.
We’re all realising that exotic plants are not the way to green our gardens. Last year saw a growing (literally!) number of us go for native, drought-resistant plants over thirsty tropical ones. Going native also means we’re using less pesticides and our gardens make a more familiar home for wildlife.

Green getaways.
Eco-tourism is going mainstream. Over 75% of us now want to stay somewhere that’s serious about sustainability. Think treehouse, not penthouse. We may not all be as committed as the Somerset family who set out to celebrate Christmas in Australia last year…overland. But by choosing hotels that offer bikes to get around, skip the daily towel change and use key cards to save energy, we’re all making travel that much more sustainable.

People power.
Imagine if all of us only used green energy? Well 23% of us have now made the switch. As the UK’s only provider of 100% green gas and renewable electricity, at 100Green we help our customers save an average of 3.3 tonnes of CO2* by switching to our energy. No gimmicks. And no offsets. So it’s one green choice where you don’t have to wait to see the benefit.

Sources:
* energyguide.org.uk
NB For background on sustainable travel replacement for flying trend take a look at these sustainable tourism statistics